Problems with website designer

[Lu28]

I have been having ongoing problems with my website designer since my site was launced in June.

For about a week and a half, they were having issues with their server and alot of the time my website couldn't be accessed at all. Almost as soon as that was resolved, I started having problems with my basket where it was impossible to add an item or it would just randomly clear itself. It was sometimes possible for orders to be made but one customer had to try 10 times before being successful. Obviously not many customers would be so persistent. I only found out about it after I was told by this customer and it appears the issue had been ongoing for nearly 2 weeks by the time I found out

It has taken them 3 days since notification to fix the problem and that was only after a complaint from me. I also asked them to include follow me buttons for twitter and my blog as compensation. They have ignored my email, not informed me the issue had been fixed and not sorted out the buttons.

Do I have any comeback at all in relation to this? I want these buttons added and really think its the least they can do to add them as a gesture of goodwill but they seem intent on simply ignoring me...

 

[Eagle]

Have a look in your contract.

 

[Lu28]

Have a look in your contract.

I was sure I had a contract when I went with them but I can't find one anywhere

 

[seo next]

Write a review about them here with their name in the title and explain the details, i am sure the post will rank on google and they will do what ever you ask to compensate

 

[bizfox]

sad to hear about your dissatisfaction.

Try to contact someone higher in their company. Make sure there are no misunderstanding. If this was outsourced there might be com problems due to language barriers.

 

[Annoying Donkey]

You probably want the legal forum rather than SEO. IMHO if you are unable to add things to a basket on an ecommerce site, that would appear to be clear cut case of not suitable for purpose. You do need to give them a chance to fix it. If you can show you have lost business, then you might have a claim, but I wonder if it would be worth the hassle. I'd be tempted to take it elsewhere.

 

[Lu28]

Thank you. The problem has now been rectified thankfully, not that anyone bothered to tell me - once again I only found out by constantly checking the site myself...

I had an email from the company owner last night basically insinuating that the problem with the basket must have been there since the site went live and seeing as I signed off the site, it's pretty much my fault. Now this wasn't a problem when the site went live, it's a more recent thing. Even if the problem was there, I paid for an ecommerce site which works and one where you can't add items to the basket is not fit for purpose as far as I'm concerned.

I think it's their complete lack of customer service which annoys me more than anything

 

[giana]

your right, from what you have said it's their lack of customer service and that is the only thing that really annoys me when dealing with any company. even if a problem is really huge but if the company has the initiative to contact and inform that they are already dealing with the problem then i'd give them a chance to redeem themselves but in your case, personally, i'd look for other companies to handle my site.

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Quicranks.com SEO Experts - Affordable and Effective

 

[LloydBurrell]

You should contact them and state your needs very clear. It seems to me that what you're asking is really not that much. Try to speak to somebody in charge, it should work.

 

[FLAUK]

Taking 3 days to fix the basket is unacceptable in my opinion (unless it was over the weekend).

Adding a twitter button is obviously not urgent, but as you say they could have done it quickly as it isn't a big job.

The basket seems to work ok now but I would change the 'submit' button text to 'checkout' and seriously consider using Paypal Pro to take payments as you will lose a lot of people when they are redirected to the Paypal site.

 

[Lu28]

I told them about the shopping cart issue on Wednesday, chased them on Friday and it was fixed yesterday. No sense of urgency on their part at all.

I may have a look into paypal pro at some point but I've just been up and running a couple of months so trying to keep costs to a minimum just now! I hadn't thought that being redirected to paypal would be so offputting but as I say, I'm a newbie at all this. To be honest, at this point I'd dread asking the designers to do anything else for me, they'd probably charge me through the nose for it. My hosting for the year was included in the original price which is why I'd be reluctant to move...

 

[FLAUK]

In that case they need a kick up the arse. Taken from their homepage:

"We aren't saying our web designs and techniques are future proof but what we do offer our customers is fresh design, quality website builds, great client care and hosting stability, after all what's the point having a great looking website if it takes an age to load or is down at key times of the day"

 

[Lu28]

In that case they need a kick up the arse. Taken from their homepage:

"We aren't saying our web designs and techniques are future proof but what we do offer our customers is fresh design, quality website builds, great client care and hosting stability, after all what's the point having a great looking website if it takes an age to load or is down at key times of the day"

Hmm, that is a bit ironic!!

 

[Andy Walpole]

This is why you need a good contract. The contracts I use have a stipulation that I have fix any defaults three months after completion. By the sound of the response from the manager it reads like it is sign-off and that's it.

 

[Lu28]

Well I had a very productive conversation with the company owner this afternoon which has gone a long way to restoring my faith in them.

Hopefully the site will behave itself now and there won't be any more issues needing to be reosolved!